When you’ve been with the same partner for so long, it’s easy to take thing for granted. Things become more like a routine and even though the love is always there, sometimes it doesn’t get said or shown because well, you just assume they know! Haha.

I’ve been married to Dean for almost a year, but we’ve been dating (“getting to know each other as friends” if you’re Mom and Dad reading this) for almost 7 years that we basically grew up together!

I still remember him the first time I met him. Long wavy hair, baggy jumper, faded sneakers, eating a burger at McDonald’s, not interested at all in this girl sitting next to him (me). Dean wasn’t the friendliest person back then, which bugged me because I didn’t understand why he was so sombong! Our first date together took a year after we met with a bunch of friends, which shows how much pride he had. And when he asked me out for our first movie together, he made me pay for my own ticket. I really don’t know why there was even a second date. -____-

We laugh about it now and he just raises his eyebrows at me going “That’s how I roll…” proudly. He added that he didn’t want to waste his money in case the first date went really badly and we didn’t call each other again after. That would be a bad investment for him. How… annoyingly cheap…. 10 bucks, seriously!

Well, this is a really good example of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” because a month into the relationship, Dean turned out to be a guy I want to marry. He let his guard down and I started seeing the softer and caring side of him that drew me to him even more when we were young lovebirds. Of course he still had ugly sweaters and T-shirts, but I sorted that part out, don’t you worry.

I could babble on and on about how awesome he is, but no one wants to hear that. Haha. I’m just feeling slightly nostalgic right now because I just spent a good 5 minutes staring at Baby D’s 4D scan picture. Baby D already has Dean’s features! And it hit me even more that (i) Baby D might love Dean more (*cries*) and (ii) we’re actually having a baby together. We’re about to bring a life into the world that is both ours. How surreal!!!! (Well, of course ultimately Baby D belongs to Allah swt, but you know what I mean!)

It seems like just yesterday we were carefree and young, and now we’re full-fledged adults trying to make a living for our family. I look at Dean and I just feel so proud. He works so hard and he’s going places to achieve greater things in life. At the same time, he is such a humble person who still believes in putting his forehead to the ground to ask guidance from God. I saw him getting ready in his suit for a press conference yesterday, and I can’t believe he was the same guy in that ugly jumper 8 years ago. I learn a lot of good traits from seeing how he goes about his life, and that’s exactly what you want to see in a leader. So husbands, be a good example to your wives.

I’m such a proud wife every single day and I really pray Allah swt rewards him greatly now and in the afterlife with utmost success and happiness. And I pray that our marriage is blessed and will be a long-lasting one till Jannah.

I see too many wives comparing their husbands to other people’s husbands and complaining about theirs, please don’t do that. Let’s love our husbands for all that they are and never take marriage for granted, Insyaallah.